So I'm 20 and I've started looking at the salaries of jobs/careers, and this is the impression I've gotten. Like that you could spend years cramming a ton of knowledge about a very niche field, and still only get 2-3x what a run-of-the-mill job makes. Is this true? If yes then I guess this route to wealth would only make sense (due to the diminishing returns) if the topic truly spoke to you, right? Are there alternative career paths to good pay than being really good at something really specific?
I'm 42 and have been working in the same industry for 20 years. This is just a good company to work for.
I think I’m very much a generalist, but the areas in deep on I’m much deeper than others.
But that means as companies get bigger they want more specialists and i end up less valuable as I’m just filling in gaps.
Makes finding those good companies harder, but I’m more valuable to small companies than hiring 3-4 people, so I can command good pay.